Canceled
by Stargate Fan
Summary: Part One of The Survivor's series, previously known as the Canceled series. Jack's favorite TV show is canceled and he's VERY upset! DV pairing. Note: The Simpsons have NOT been canceled
1. Bad News

Daniel was sitting in his office, going over mission reports from his latest trip to Avalon, trying to see if he'd missed anything regarding the ancient device they needed to find. He heard footsteps and looked up to see Jack O'Neill striding towards him with an obviously angry look on his face.

'_Uh oh, I hope this isn't directed towards me!'_

"Jack, what's up?"

"I'm so angry right now Daniel that I could spit nails! I want to meet with all of you right now. Can you get the team here?"

"Sure, hold on, I'll call them."

After making the necessary calls, he hung up and noticed Jack pacing back and forth at a fast clip.

Soon, Cam, Vala, Sam and Teal'c entered the room and looked at Jack expectantly.

"Okay, Jack, what's wrong?" Daniel stood up from behind his desk and walked over to Jack.

Jack looked at him with an angry, red face and exclaimed, "My favorite TV show has been canceled! I just found out from the Internet that "The Simpson's" are not being picked up for another season! I can't believe it! Do you know how many fans there are out there that are going to be ticked off? I found a petition online that I signed, begging the Powers That Be to reconsider. I have all their seasons on DVD and I checked and found out that all the Animators were willing to work another year, but the head exec's said, "No."

Sam looked at Daniel and said, "I can't believe that! What is the reason they gave?"

"Low ratings, but I don't believe that," Jack said. "This just can't be happening!"

"Okay, Jack. Calm down. Are you sure about this? It could just be a rumor that's floating around." Daniel patted Jack on the back, offering comfort.

"Yes, I'm sure it's true. I checked the official web site and they've confirmed it." Jack resumed pacing and looked bereft.

"I do not believe the producers of the show would allow this to happen, O'Neill. Maybe it will be shown on another television channel." Teal'c tried to offer comfort but was unsure what else to say.

Vala asked, "What's 'The Simpson's?"

"I'll explain later," Daniel said. "You need to see it to understand it."

_'How can I explain it? I'll have to bring in my DVD's. That's all there is to it."_

Jack said, "I know one thing. It won't go down without a fight!"

With that, Jack left Daniel's office and headed for the briefing room.

"Follow me! We have to come up with a plan!"

Sam turned to the others and said, "We have to help him. He looks like he's gonna have a stroke!"

"Call Dr. Lam and have her meet us in the briefing room, and hurry!" Daniel said as he ushered them all out of his office and locked the door. "Hurry, Sam. He shouldn't be alone at a time like this!"


	2. What Can We Do?

Chapter 2: What Can We Do?

SG-1 made it to the briefing room mere seconds after General O'Neill and they noticed right away he was removing his jacket and rolling up his sleeves.

"Jack, you need to calm down before you make yourself sick." Sam pleaded with him but to no avail. _'This is really bad. If this can't be resolved, he could get so sick it could ruin his career.'_

"I can't calm down! I'm so upset about this whole thing that I could just puke!" Jack was pacing back and forth again like a caged lion.

Dr. Lam entered the briefing room with her stethoscope and blood pressure cuff and said, "General sir, please sit down so that I can check you over."

She took his pulse and found that it was alarmingly fast. She checked his blood pressure and stopped and thought,_ 'My goodness, what is going on?'_ Then she checked it again.

"Sir, your pulse and blood pressure are dangerously high. I think you need to calm down. What happened that got you all riled up?"

"'The Simpson's' got canceled."

"What? That's not possible. It's one of my favorite TV shows!" Dr. Lam sat down fast and Daniel ran over to the coffee cart and got her a glass of water.

"I know. It's mine, too," said Sam. "I admit, it took me a while to get into it. The lead character is such a dunce! But the more I watched, the more I liked it. I actually think he's kinda cute, in a way."

"My fondest memory of the whole thing as that we all got together for 'Team Night,' and had a really good time," Daniel said. 'Now what are we going to do?'

"Indeed," said Teal'c. "It was most enjoyable to gather at O'Neill's house and view each week's new episode. I also enjoy the repeats."

"Reruns," Daniel said as he corrected Teal'c.

Teal'c gave Daniel a nod and smiled.

"Okay, Daniel," Vala said, "What are you talking about?"

"I'll have to show you. How about everyone meet at my place tonight at 7. We can watch the first season together and let Vala in for a real cultural experience."

"I'll bring the beer," Cam offered. "Dr. Lam, you should come along, too. Just in case General O'Neill needs you."

"Meanwhile, General O'Neill needs to come to the infirmary so that I can keep an eye on him. If I see an improvement, I'll release him in time to go to your house, Daniel."

"There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just upset about the show's cancellation," Jack insisted. 'Oh, this just isn't fair.'

"Sir, humor me."

Jack grumbled all the way to the infirmary but he knew that Carolyn only had his best interest in mind.

Just before 7, the whole gang showed up at Daniel's house. He had ordered some pizza and had the table ready with plates, napkins and drinking glasses for the beer. Always the perfect host, he'd placed extra chairs in the living room for his guests so that everyone could have a good view of the TV.

Jack had been released and Carolyn had given him a ride over. Everyone settled in for the first episode, and they all started chatting about how different the first episode looked from the later ones.

"So," Vala said, "This is what's gotten you so upset? The cancellation of this particular program? While I can see that some of the subject matter is humorous, I just don't get it."

"Vala, you have to take the whole thing in context. The real fans of this show have been watching it from the beginning. One of the co-stars loses his wife in a later episode and it really upset him when she died. He was never the same," Sam said.

"We've all grown quite fond of the whole batch of characters," Daniel said. "It's been a really fun, watching them go from one adventure to the next."

"I thought it was especially appealing when the infant finally spoke her first word," Teal'c said.

"It's about family," O'Neill said. "True, a dysfunctional one, but show me one that's not?"

"Okay, so what can we do to stop the people in charge from canceling?"

"That's why we're here. We have to come up with a plan."

"A letter writing campaign might help," Cam said. It worked on one of the other shows I watch when a lead character died. Eventually, he came back."

"How is that possible," Vala asked. "If he died, how could that happen?"

"Nobody really dies on TV," Daniel said. "They can always find ways to bring a character back, if they really want to."

"Okay, so we write letters and see if others at the SGC can do that, too. What else?" Jack looked around the group for more help.

"We could start a petition online," Sam said. "I bet we'll get thousands of signatures in just a few hours."

"Okay, anything else?" The each seemed to stop and think. "Come on! There has to be something else."

"I've got it!" Cam said. "We can all mail empty cans of beer to the main office of the executives who made this decision. Can you imagine what would happen when they had thousands of stinky beer cans showing up in their offices?"

"Wait, why would that work?" Vala was really confused now.

"It's what the lead character likes to drink. If we sent empty cans, they would get the idea and they'd have to do something!"

"I'll call my brother, Mark, in San Diego and see if he'll get his friends to help." Sam seemed really enthused about their plans.

"I know some people at the University here in town that can get the college students started," Daniel said enthusiastically.

"I'll get everyone here on the base to join in," Said Cam.

"And I can get all the hospitals in the area to join up," Dr. Lam offered.

"Okay, I think we have a plan that we can work with," Jack said. "I have to fly back to D. C. in the morning and I'll get my friends there to help, too."

With that, everyone said good night and left Daniel's house. It looked like they finally had a way to cope with their problem.


	3. Let's Have Some Fun!

AN: This is a long chapter but I couldn't write it shorter. Enjoy!

Chapter 3. Let's Have Some Fun!

A few days later, SG-1 was sitting around the briefing room after listening to Dr. Jackson give reasons for the next mission. They were all still a bit down from the news about "their show's" cancellation.

Daniel asked, "Has anyone seen what the count is for the online petition?"

"118,000. Which is amazing for the short amount of time since it was started." Sam smiled.

"Indeed." Teal'c was impressed, even though you couldn't tell by the look on his face.

Cam said, "I think my favorite episodes were the Halloween ones. They were always good for a laugh."

"Halloween?" Vala had no idea what Cam was talking about but that wasn't unusual. Being an alien from another planet, she missed a lot of the references the team made.

"Yeah, you know, 'Trick or Treat,' candy, costumes..." Cam looked at her expectantly.

"No, I don't know. Daniel, what is he talking about?"

"Oh, that's right. You don't know about that," Cam said.

Daniel thought, _'Oh, this should be fun!' _"I'll tell you what, he said. Come on over tonight and I'll show you the Halloween episodes. You'll see what we're talking about. I'll take you home after work and we can watch them together."

_'Any chance to have some time alone with Daniel is alright with me,' V_ala thought.

Sam said, "We always have a party here at the base. It's a lot of fun. Remember a few years back when Janet dressed as Nefertiti? She was so cute with that little costume she had on."

"Yeah, I remember." Daniel looked nostalgic and smiled. He'd had a little too much beer before he'd arrived at the base that night. Good thing Jack was driving. He remembered he made a pass at Janet and the next thing he knew, he was at her house making out on the couch. He couldn't remember what he'd dressed up as but she sure remembered her in her long white dress and her black wig and all that eye makeup.

"What do you mean, she dressed up as Nefertiti?" Vala really was confused now as she watched Daniel staring off in the distance, obviously preoccupied with some memory.

"Okay," Daniel said as he seemed to snap out of his trance, "Every year, we have a holiday called, 'Halloween,' and kids dress up in costumes and go from house to house begging for candy. We have a party here at the SGC and we all dress in costumes. It's a lot of fun."

"I'll help you find a costume, Vala. Halloween is a few weeks away so we have plenty of time to come up with something," Sam said.

Vala looked bewildered but agreed to play along.

0 0 0

Later that afternoon, Daniel noticed that Vala looked tired. She'd been helping him with a particularly difficult translation and when he looked at the clock, he decided it was time to head for home. Ever since joining the team, she'd been a lot of help. Having first hand knowledge of all things Goa'uldish really came in handy. He'd learned to appreciate her for her hard work. She rarely complained about it and was just as exhausted as he was at the end of the day.

"Vala, would you like to quit for the day and head to my place? We can stop for some Chinese take-out on the way?"

She agreed and by the time they got to Daniel's house, they were both starving! The smells from the food cartons were wonderful and it wasn't long before they had plates, forks and drinks set on the coffee table in the living room. Daniel looked through his DVD collection and found the episodes regarding Halloween and started the first one called, _'Treehouse of Horror'_. Before long, he was grinning at the antics of the characters but he noticed that Vala wasn't laughing.

"What's wrong, Vala?"

"Nothing. I just don't understand what this is about."

_'This must seem really foreign for her. She never had anything like this when she was growing up. Wow, she's really missed out on some fun stuff.'_

"Okay, as an anthropologist, I'm sure I can explain what this is all about."

He got out some books and showed her the origins of the holiday and how things had changed over the centuries. She listened quietly and enjoyed the lecture. Daniel was in rare form when he was talking about something he was really interested in. Many hours later, after a lot of questions and explanations, and after they'd finished watching all the Halloween episodes that they could fit in for an evening, they decided it was time for him to drive her back to the base. Daniel had a better appreciation of what her childhood had been like and Vala seemed able to understand what the holiday meant.

"I think the party might be fun, after all, now that I know what it's about. Thanks, Daniel."

"Hey, it's alright. I'm glad to help." He was, too. He found that the evening had been very enjoyable and they got along quite well.

0 0 0

On the day of the party, the team showed up at the base and went about their work. Later thatafternoon, Daniel excused himself from his office and headed for his quarters. Sam came into his lab and noticed that Vala was alone.

"Where'd he go?" She looked around but didn't see him there.

"He said he had to get ready. I asked him what he was dressing up as and he said he couldn't tell me, that I'd have to wait."

"That sound's interesting. Are you ready to go back to my place and get dressed for the party?"

Vala smiled. It was nice having Sam as a friend. This was something she'd lacked in all her years as a renegade. They chatted amiably on their way out of the base and to Sam's house.

0 0 0

The SGC staff had cleared out a large storage room on the 24th floor and some had decorated it for the event. There were fake cobwebs strung all over the walls, rubber bats and paper skeletons hung from the ceiling and the overhead lights were turned off. Special lighting was used to create a spooky atmosphere and a gate technician was doing duty as a DJ and playing "Monster Mash".

The place was crowded and busy by the time Cam walked in. He had on a fake mustache, fake eyeglasses and a suit and carried around a small pocket Bible. He noticed Carolyn come in and thought she looked interesting in her costume. But then, she looked nice in anything she wore, he thought. Either way, the short green dress and the blue wig gave her away as Marge Simpson.

General O'Neill walked in and he didn't seem to be dressed up as anyone in particular. He headed over to the punch table and then walked up to Cam and inquired, "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Ned Flanders, here, how do you doodley do!"

"Very funny! I see Dr. Lam is a vampire. That seems appropriate with her drawing blood all the time. Anyone else from the team show up yet?"

"No, I don't think so. Daniel has been holed up in his quarters for the last few hours but he will probably show up soon. I wonder what could possibly be taking him this long to get ready?"

"There's T, I think," Jack said. He looked across the room and noticed that Teal'c was wearing a doctor's white coat and had a stethoscope around his neck. _'I think I know who he is.'_

"T, are you Doctor Hibbert, from 'The Simpson's'?

"Indeed, O'Neill. And who are you dressed up as?"

"I'll wait to tell when everyone gets here. Saves me having to repeat myself."

"Yeah," Cam said, looking over General O'Neill's outfit. Jack was dressed in blue jeans, a plaid shirt and a leather bomber jacket. He didn't look any different than any other time he was out of uniform. "I can see you took a lot of time, sir."

"Just wait… you'll see."

They turned towards the doorway, just in time to see Sam enter the room. A few conversations stopped and some of the group cheered as she walked in.

She had her blond hair done up in spikes and had a blue bow tied on top. She was wearing a short red dress, red shoes and large white beads around her neck.

"Lisa!" Jack laughed and went over to her and gave her a thumbs up. "That's great! You really went all out!"

"How did you get your hair to do that?" Cam was really impressed. Sam was pretty, even dressed up as Lisa Simpson.

"That's perfect," Carolyn said as she walked up and greeted Sam. "I thought about dressing up as Lisa, but I didn't have a red dress in my closet and I couldn't see the point of going out and buying one for just one night.

"I had this one hanging around," Sam said. "I haven't worn it in a while and the style is definitely old but it still fit, so I thought, why not? Jack, what are you dressed up as?"

"I'm not telling 'til the whole team is here. Where is Vala? Didn't she go home with you?"

"She did. She's a little nervous about this. She said they never did anything like this on her planet and she feels kinda silly. Wait 'til you see her. She's really something!"

A few minutes later, Daniel made his entrance. He was dressed in a red, short sleeved shirt and blue shorts. His hair had been died blond and was sticking straight up in the air. He sailed into the room on a skateboard and as he did, the whole room turned and cheered and applauded. It was obvious that he was dressed as 'Bart Simpson,' and he really looked the part.

"Oh Man! I can't believe you died your hair!" Jack said as Daniel stepped off the back of his skateboard and flipped it up and caught it. Even Teal'c smiled as he observed his friend.

"It's temporary, believe me. I wouldn't use the permanent stuff," Daniel said.

"You look great! I kinda like the blond look, Daniel. It makes you look younger," Sam said as she gave him a pat on the back

"No, it makes me look like a middle aged man TRYING to look younger. It's not for me."

They all laughed at his funny remark and Carolyn and Cam went over to get some cookies for everyone. Just as they returned with a tray full of goodies, Vala stepped into the room.

After hearing Daniel's explanation a few weeks before, about this night, she'd put a lot of thought into her costume. She'd gone online and read a number of Daniel's books before she came up with a decision, and she hoped it was the right one.

"Oh my!" was all Daniel could say, as she walked into the room. He would have dropped his glass of punch if Jack hadn't taken it from his hands. His mouth was hanging open and he was speechless. Sam looked around the room and noticed that most of the men had the same reaction.

Vala had on a long, slim blue gown and gold slippers. She had a collar around her neck that looked Egyptian in style. Daniel thought, _'Is that authentic?'_ Her long black hair had been done up gracefully with waves framing her face. Her eyes were outlined in black, but not too much, just enough to accent them. Red lipstick and a soft pink rouge finished her makeup. She had arm bands around her biceps and was carrying a gold staff.

Daniel gulped. "Is that..."

"Cleopatra," Sam finished his sentence for him. She smiled at the look on Daniel's face. He was totally besotted and Sam could understand why. Vala was a beautiful woman to begin with, but all they saw her in on a daily basis was the shapeless BDU's they all wore. They'd seen her in other clothing before (who could forget the black leather she'd first showed up at the SGC in?) but never something quite this feminine and beautiful.

Daniel's face was flushed and Jack handed back his drink and said, "Breathe, Danny. The night's early and you don't want to end up in the infirmary for lack of oxygen."

Daniel couldn't take his eyes off Vala as he said, "Very funny, Jack."

Vala stepped up to the team and smiled. "I hope I didn't overdo it. I've never been to a party like this and I wasn't sure about it."

"No, you look great! Really... great." Daniel couldn't find the words to describe how she looked, which was really saying something for the linguist.

Carolyn noticed how flustered Daniel was and nudged Cam. "I think we need more drinks. Come along, Flanders."

But, before they could walk away, Jack said, "Okay, kids! Now that we're all here..."

"Hold on there, General O'Neill." The voice was familiar as they all turned to look as General Hammond walked into the room. He had on slacks and a short sleeved white shirt.

"HOMER!" Jack yelled as the whole group clapped and cheered. "I didn't expect you here, George! Welcome back!"

"Thanks, Jack. I couldn't miss this one. I was visiting my granddaughters, anyway. I heard all the commotion about the show being canceled and decided I needed an evening of fun. I knew you'd like the costume. Didn't cost me a thing, neither. I already had the clothes in my closet."

"Good choice, sir," Sam said. "You really look the part. All you need is a donut."

"I thought about it but decided not to. It would be too sticky to carry around all night. And I sure wouldn't want to eat it. I've been trimming down, lately."

"We've noticed, sir. You look like you're feeling good," Sam mentioned.

"I am," he said, as he walked over to another group to say 'hello'.

Carolyn and Cam got enough drinks for everyone and then Cam asked Jack, "Sir, what are you dressed up as? I just don't see that as a costume."

Jack looked around the group and said, "MacGyver."

"You've got to be kidding!" Sam yelled as she almost choked on her drink.

"Don't laugh, Carter." He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a roll of duct tape, a D-cell battery and a stick of gum. "With this, I could build a bomb strong enough to blow up Cheyenne Mountain."

"Who is MacGyver?" Vala was confused, as always.

"Teal'c, you have the DVD's right? Maybe you could take the time to explain it to her," Jack said.

"Indeed. I would be happy to discuss this with Vala Mal Doran."

The two of them went over to some chairs and sat down, discussing the television show, in some detail. Teal'c was working on buying the whole MacGyver collection of DVD's.

"I always liked Richard Dean Anderson. I had a crush on him when I was at the Academy," Sam said.

Jack looked at her with a surprised look on his face. "Really? I never could quite see what attracted people to that show. I thought it was kinda dumb myself."

"Thanks a lot, sir" Sam looked truly offended and Jack hurried up and tried to make amends.

"I mean, the guy's haircut was so weird. And he did things that you couldn't really do..." Jack kept trying but Sam still glared at him.

"I'll have you know, the things he did on that show were tested and were scientifically sound."

"If you say so..." Jack really didn't want to get into an argument with her here at the party. Or, anywhere, for that matter.

"SO, Jack," Cam said, "Why MacGyver, if you didn't like the show?"

"Well, I had the clothes, much like General Hammond had his. I figured that a lot of people here would be dressed as "The Simpson's" characters. I thought I'd go for something different."

"Well, you had us fooled," Cam said. You don't look anything like Richard Dean Anderson."

"I know, but hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"I think you look just fine, sir." Carolyn had liked the show. She thought Anderson had been quite cute in it, too.

"Thank you, Doctor." Jack was relieved that the tension had dropped down a notch. He didn't want Sam angry with him.

Teal'c and Vala returned shortly after and she no longer looked confused.

Daniel put his cup down on a table and asked Vala to dance. He blushed a bit when she looked up at him but smiled when she said she would love to.

"Am I reading more into this or does it look like Daniel has taken a certain interest in Vala tonight?" Jack watched the two of them slow dance and noticed they were chatting about something and laughing quietly.

"You have to admit, sir, she's very pretty tonight." Sam glanced over to the couple and smiled.

"Yeah, I suppose. I thought he didn't like her, though."

"Well, lately his attitude seems to be changing. She's been more cooperative since joining SG-1. She doesn't aggravate him as much as she used to. She's really quite nice and a lot of fun when she lets her guard down."

"If you say so."

At that moment, Harriman walked up and said hello. He was dressed in a brown suit.

"Walter, who are you dressed up as tonight?" Cam asked and then took a sip from his punch.

"Smithers, sir."

"As in Mr. Burns assistant, Smithers?"

"Yes, sir. I was told I remind some people here of him. I guess my following General Hammond around all these years made me look the part."

"Yeah, now that you mention it...," Jack said.

Daniel and Vala returned to the group and Daniel asked Walter for the latest news.

"Well, sir. I just checked on the internet. There are 233,000 signatures on the petition to keep the show on the air. The exec's said they are pleased that people like the show but there's nothing they can do. Last count, they had over a million beer cans show up at their offices. They had to have a special tractor/trailer haul them all away. It really stunk up the place, too. But, it didn't make a difference. They still plan on canceling."

Jack was deeply disappointed. _'I wish there was something more we could do.'_

"I'm sorry, Sir," Sam said when she noticed the look on his face. "I know how much this means to you."

"Well, I think we've done all we can," Cam said.

"Jack, I heard they plan on releasing the movie next summer." Daniel hoped that would cheer his friend up.

"Yeah, but it won't be the same as watching a new episode each week."

"I know. I don't like the thought of waiting a year or two to see a new movie. They did that with Star Trek and it's been successful for the studios but it's not the same.

"Were you a Trekkie, Daniel?" Sam asked.

"No, but my room mate in college was. The guy used to go to all the conventions and dress up in costumes. I never saw the point of going to those but hey, to each his own, right?"

Later in the evening, the crowd grew thinner and the team decided it was time to go home. Vala had a very nice time and slow danced with a lot of the single men. Daniel noticed but didn't say anything as he'd danced with her quite a bit, too. Sam left with Jack as he needed a ride to the airport. Carolyn and Cam had disappeared earlier and nobody knew where they had gone off to.

After a bit, Daniel walked Vala to her room and said 'good night,' quietly. He stopped a moment to look at her but then walked away towards his quarters. He seemed to have a lot on his mind.

Vala noticed that he seemed a bit off balance. _'I wonder what's going on in that head of his? I thought he liked my costume but he didn't say much.'_

Everyone still was sad about the news that their plans to revive their favorite TV show hadn't worked, but they'd all had a good time. Maybe it was time to move on.

To be continued...


	4. A Kiss To Make It Better

Chapter 4. A Kiss To Make It Better

The next few days were hectic at the SGC and no one had a chance to check the internet to see if anything had changed, as far as the TV show went. General Landry returned from a much needed week's vacation and things went pretty much back to normal. Or as normal as they could be in the mountain.

Sg-1 went off world and got chewed up, as usual. Vala sprained her wrist while working with Daniel. They were examining a wall that had some writing on it and it started to fall over towards them. She reached out to block Daniel but some of the stuff landed on him anyway and she hurt her wrist in the process. She radioed for help and when Cam saw that Daniel had been briefly knocked out, he took no chances. Teal'c carried Daniel and Sam helped Vala and they quickly returned to the SGC. Daniel and Vala were immediately whisked off to the infirmary for x rays and observation. Neither one was hurt badly but Doctor Lam decided to keep Daniel over night, just to be on the safe side.

It was pretty quiet in the infirmary the next morning when Vala came in, wearing her black T-shirt and pants and though she could have gone to her room, she decided to come back and sit by Daniel's bed. General Landry had postponed the mission debriefing until first thing that morning and with Mitchell, Teal'c and Sam, it took only a few minutes as they hadn't been on the planet very long when Daniel and Vala got hurt. General Landry dismissed them until further notice. She didn't really have anything to do unless she went back to the Archeology Department to work on something and that wasn't much fun unless Daniel was there. He was able to explain things that she came across and she was learning quite a bit from him.

He had dozed off but when he woke up he noticed he wasn't alone. _'Is that Vala? My eyeglasses must be around here somewhere.'_ He used the controls to lift the mattress so that he could sit up. He was dressed in blue hospital pajamas and the sheet white sheet was around his waist.

"Hey."

"Hey, yourself, Sleepyhead. Doctor Lam said you have a mild concussion but she's only going to keep you in here another day. How are you feeling? Did you sleep well last night?"

"No, the nurses kept waking me up every hour, so I'm worn out And, I have a headache but I guess that's normal. Why are you here?" He realized as soon as he said it that it sounded a bit rude. "I'm sorry, I mean... I'm sure you would rather be anywhere else."

"No, I'm fine. I really don't have much to do and I don't mind sitting with you." She blushed a bit and was looking around the room, trying not to make eye contact. She remembered when she used to flirt outrageously with him and lately, she seemed to feel uncomfortable doing that. She'd grown a lot of respect for him and it just didn't seem right, somehow.

"Um, thanks by the way. You could have gotten hurt worse." He noticed her arm and said, "Sprained?"

"Yes. I didn't even think, Daniel I heard some noise and looked up. I just reacted."

"Well... I appreciate it." He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Vala, can I ask you a question?" He said this as he was reaching for his eyeglasses.

"Sure, what do you want to know?"

"I was just wondering why you picked 'Cleopatra' to dress up as the other night at the party?"

"Oh, that. Well, when you explained things and Sam offered to help, I wasn't sure what to do, at first. It took me a while and some research to decide. Then it came to me, and I knew that there was a collar and some arm bands up in one of the storage rooms, so it seemed like the perfect choice. Sam signed out the artifacts because we knew they wouldn't let me have them, if I asked. I hope she won't get in trouble for that, by the way. I did return them as soon as the party was over."

"I know, I checked." Daniel looked a bit embarrassed for admitting that.

"You did?" Vala looked hurt. "I guess you still can't trust me, can you?"

"Give it time, Vala. You have a rather infamous reputation, ya know? It's gonna take a while. I have to say, though, I think you're doing great. You've been a lot of help." He tried to reassure her with a smile.

Vala looked down at her hands and didn't say anything. She was a bit surprised at what he'd just told her. Praise wasn't something she was used to. At least, not this kind. She wasn't expecting it.

"So," she said, "tell me, Daniel, why did you dress the way you did?"

"That's easy. It just seemed like the right thing to do, what with all the commotion about 'The Simpson's' being canceled. Although, I wish now that I hadn't dyed my hair. I had to keep washing it to get the color out and it still looked strange for a few days." He said this while running his fingers across his scalp.

"It was a surprise for me when I walked in and saw you dressed that way. I don't understand this obsession everyone has with that TV show." She crossed her arms across her chest and looked at him, waiting for a reply.

"I know. You didn't have TV on your home planet. It's natural that you would question it. Look, it's been on for 17 years. That's a long, long time for a TV show. Especially an animated one."

"Okay, but I'm still really am surprised that General O'Neill is so wrapped up with it. He's a big, strong man... a military leader. It just doesn't seem to fit."

"You have to remember something, Vala. We deal with some extremely serious stuff on a daily basis. Most of us don't have lives, outside the base. He's in charge of a lot of things that almost everyone on the planet will never know about. Watching that show is just a way for him to relax. It's something to focus on that doesn't have anything to do with the Ori, or gate travel or enemies we don't even know about that might be lurking out there, just waiting for the chance to 'Take Over The World," he said, using his fingers to make quotation marks in the air.

"Oh, I see. It's an escape mechanism." Vala still thought it was strange but when Daniel put it into context, it made more sense.

"Yes." Daniel was curious. "Didn't you have anything like that on your planet? Not TV, but something that everyone seemed to enjoy and talk about? Sports, maybe? Or entertainment?"

"I suppose so but I don't remember much."

Daniel was really curious about her home planet. The anthropologist in him would love to go there and look around. But, that wasn't even possible because Vala wasn't sure where it was. It had been quite a long time since she'd been there.

She stood up and reached over to the water pitcher and poured him a glass. As she did so, she winced a bit from the pain in her arm.

"Thanks," he said after he took a drink. "Does it hurt very much?" Daniel had noticed the pained look and was concerned.

"A little. Doctor Lam gave me some Tylenol and said that if I needed something stronger, to let her know."

He got a thoughtful look on his face as he took her hand and said, "You know, when I was a little boy, my mother used to do something when I got hurt."

"She did? What was that?"

"She'd kiss my hurts. If I fell and scraped my knee, she would say, 'Let me kiss it to make it better.'" He got a sly grin on his face and said, "Want me to kiss your arm to make it better? "

She smiled back and said, "Sure, if you want to."

He carefully brought her arm closer and placed a kiss over the bandage, all the while watching her face.

"Turn about is fair play, Daniel." She leaned over, brushed his hair away and slowly kissed his forehead. She looked into his eyes and said, "Better?"'

Daniel didn't say anything. He just sat there watching her face, which was mere inches from his own. She drew closer and they just started to kiss when they heard someone at the door and they both jumped! She quickly stepped back and Daniel sat up and cleared his throat.

Jack stepped into the room and saw the near miss. _'Oh boy, that was lousy timing!'_

Daniel was definitely shaken by the encounter and thought, _'Oh, crap!'_ But, he put on a straight face and said, "Hey, Jack. What are you here for?" His face was a little red but he seemed to recover quickly.

"To see you, although I didn't know you were in the infirmary until I got here. What happened?"

Vala said, "A wall fell on him."

"Oh, as usual? And I see you sprained your wrist. How did that happen?"

Daniel answered, "She tried to stop the wall from falling on me." He grinned and then said, "She saw it start to tumble and tried to shield me and we both got hurt in the process. At least, that's what Doctor Lam said when she was in here this morning. She gave me some pain medication and I dozed off for a bit after breakfast, so I'm not really sure. It's still a bit fuzzy."

Vala stepped towards the door and said, "Sir, it's good to see you. I have some things to do so I'll go and let you two talk." She quickly stepped out of the room and was gone in an instant.

Jack looked a Daniel to see the reaction on his friend's face. Daniel glanced up at Jack and blushed. _'I see,'_ thought Jack. _'I wonder how far this has gone?'_

"Daniel, is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

"No, Jack. You came in here to talk to me, remember? What's up?"

Jack had come to the base for a different reason but since he was there, he decided to ask Daniel about a mission they'd been on a few years before. It had something to do with one of the villages they'd been to, and he needed the information for something he was working on. He knew that Daniel had a great memory for these kinds of things and when Daniel said he did remember, they got into a discussion about it.

A while later, after Jack left, Daniel felt relieved that the subject of the kiss hadn't come up again. He wasn't sure he could explain anything and wasn't really ready to try to. He was just as confused by it as he was sure Vala was. _'I hope I didn't hurt her feelings. I can't believe I did that. What was I thinking?'_

He turned the bed back down to a flat position and tried to calm down but the thought of him kissing her was really bothering him. Fortunately, within a few minutes of Jack's leaving, an orderly came in with his lunch. Soon after that, the nurse came in and gave Daniel his scheduled pain medication and before he knew it, he was asleep.


	5. Success!

Chapter 5. Success!

Daniel went back to work the next day after convincing Doctor Lam that he wouldn't over do it. He had a lot to catch up on and didn't like the thought of getting too far behind.

Vala was sitting at her desk working quietly when he came in. He wanted to talk to her and apologize for the kiss, but he could tell that now wasn't the right time. Others came in and out of the office all morning with questions about one thing or another concerning artifacts or translations and he didn't even notice the time flying by. Before he knew it, it was time for lunch.

"Vala, I'm gonna go get something to eat. Do you want to come along?" He hadn't talked to her about anything expect work related subjects all morning, and maybe now he could broach the subject that they had been stepping around all morning.

"No, I'm getting close to figuring this text out and I don't want to lose my place."

"I'll bring you something back then." Daniel left and headed for the elevators.

Upon reaching the commissary, he filled his tray and headed over to a table where Sam, Teal'c and Cam were eating.

"Hey, guys."

"Hello, Daniel Jackson. Are you well?"

"Yes, Teal'c. I'm fine. Thank you. How is everyone?"

"I am fine, as well." Teal'c gave him a nod and then returned to his meal.

"I'm good, Daniel. It's nice to see you back to work."

"Ditto," said Cam as he took a bite from his sandwich.

Sam smiled and then asked, "Have you heard the latest news on the show?"

"No, I've been out of the loop for a few days. What's going on?"

"There is a rumor that the producers are reconsidering. There's been such an influx of mail and phone calls that they said they might decide to do another year. Of course, it's just rumor, but that's the best news we've had in a long time."

"That's great! I'll bet Jack's happy about it," Cam said.

"I haven't talked to him since he went back to D.C.," Sam said. "He said he had a lot of meetings at the Pentagon this week but I left a message on his voice mail and he'll probably get back to me when he can."

"Tell him I said, 'hello,' when you talk to him," Daniel said.

"Is Vala Mal Doran not working today, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c had noticed that Daniel had come in alone.

"She's back at the office. She said she was afraid she'd lose her concentration if she took a break for lunch. I'm going to take something back to her."

"She's been a lot of help, hasn't she?" Sam knew how much Daniel was swamped by his work and it was nice to see that he wasn't as stressed out as he had been before Vala joined the team. He actually made it home a few nights a week, now.

"Yes, she's really helped lift the work load. I hadn't really given a lot of thought to having someone else right there in my office, helping with the translations. It's amazing how much she knows. She's picked up a lot of knowledge in all the years of traveling around."

"I'm glad. Hey, I think the plans are still on for the Christmas Party to be held in the same room as the Halloween party was. Are you three planning on going?"

"I'm not sure. Catherine invited me to visit for a few days and I haven't decided if I want to go."

"If you do, tell her I said, 'hello'."

"I will be in attendance, Colonel Carter," Teal'c said.

"So will I," Cam added

"Good. Well, I've gotta get back to my lab. It was nice to see you guys."

The two men finished their lunches and then went on their ways. Daniel stopped first and picked up some lunch for Vala and headed for the elevator.

_'Maybe a few days away from here would be a good idea. I wonder if Catherine would be able to give me some advice on how I should handle my relationship with Vala? Well, it's not really a relationship, yet, but it could be.'_

He took the tray back up to his office and noticed that Vala was sitting on the couch, leaning back and she seemed to be asleep. But, when he set the tray down on her desk, she opened her eyes and sat up straighter.

"I'm back with some lunch. Hungry?" He sat down next to her and looked at her with inquiring eyes?

"Yes, thanks." She went to get up but Daniel took her hand and asked her to wait.

"Vala, I owe you an apology. I was way out of line the other day in the infirmary."

"No, Daniel. I'm the one who should apologize. I should have been here in the office, working. You didn't need me hanging around." She went to stand up and he took her hand.

"Wait. Please. I was glad to have you there to keep me company. But, I shouldn't have been flirting with you like that. Neither one of us need to complicate things."

"Daniel, listen. When I first met you, we were enemies. I didn't trust you and you didn't trust me. We didn't really know each other at all. When I came back and tricked you with the marriage bracelets, I learned that you weren't someone to trifle with. It took a while, I know, and I still flirt a lot, but I also found that I respect what you do here and that we don't have time to goof off. The Ori are out there and we know there are at least 3 ships in this galaxy trying to cause trouble. Now, that I work with you and I'm part of SG-1, I have to get serious and help as much as I can. I decided a while back to behave myself, as much as possible, and quit making passes at you."

"You're right, this is very serious. But, I started it in the infirmary, and I'm sorry. I know that it must have been confusing and I didn't mean to do it."

"Well, you were on some pretty heavy duty pain killers so I can attribute it to that. Let's just forget about it and move on. Okay?"

"Okay. Are we alright?"

"Yes, Daniel. We're alright. Now, what did you bring me for lunch? I'm starving!"

She hadn't been quite truthful about her feelings but she didn't want him to know how thrilled she'd been when he wanted to kiss her. It was wonderful but she knew that he'd been dosed up with some pretty strong stuff and wasn't really thinking straight. She just couldn't trust it.

0 0 0

Daniel went to Catherine's for a few days but was back in time for the Christmas party. He'd decided not to bring up the subject of Vala and instead enjoyed a nice few days with her and Ernest.

The SGC personnel had picked names for the Secret Santa gifts and he'd ended up with Sam's name. He knew she'd really like some of the special coffee that he'd found when he'd been to Bolivia for a seminar, so he had some shipped to his house and had it wrapped up in a pretty package. She was thrilled and said she'd keep it in her lab so that they could enjoy it together.

Harriman had picked Daniel's name and bought him season 17 of 'The Simpson's.'

"It just came out on DVD a few weeks ago and I figured you didn't have it yet."

"You're right, Walter. Thanks." Daniel was tickled that Harriman had been so thoughtful. _'I'll have to have Vala over and we'll watch it together. I know I've missed a lot of the episodes because we've been off world so much.'_ Then he remembered his earlier conversation with Vala from before and wondered if that was a good idea. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

Vala had never been to a Christmas party before so she'd asked Sam to explain it to her. Sam told her about the secular aspects of the holiday regarding the presents and decorating and such. The religious aspect became a more serious conversation and led to the topic of faith and different customs that different religious groups had. Sam explained that the two aspects didn't have as much to do with each other as they used to. "Lots of people celebrate Christmas and they aren't Christians. It's just a fun day for them and a time to get together with family. You'd be better off asking Daniel about the religious stuff. He's studied some of that in college with his anthropology classes and he's been to a lot of countries and knows a lot more about it than I do."

Vala thought about it and decided that it could wait. For now, she'd just have fun at the party and leave the rest for another time.

On the day of the party, She was surprised to find that someone had picked her name for the Secret Santa project. She'd declined to pick a name because she was new and didn't really understand what it was all about.

When she opened the gift, however, she was left speechless. Inside the box was a beautiful dark blue scarf that had silver snow flakes for a pattern. She'd never had something this soft and pretty before. It almost brought her to tears. But, there wasn't a card with the gift so she had no idea who to thank. She looked around the room but couldn't tell if it had been anyone she knew.

Sam came up and sat down next to her and said, "Vala, that's beautiful! Who gave it to you?"

"I don't have any idea, Sam. There wasn't a card attached."

"So your Secret Santa really is a secret! Oh my, you have a secret admirer."

Vala was upset by this. _ 'Why would someone want to do something for me? Great. Just what I need to complicate my life!'_ With that, Vala excused herself and left the room.

Sam was surprised at her reaction. _'What is going on?' _ She stood up and watched Vala walk out and decided right then that she and Vala needed to have a heart-to-heart talk. And soon.

Daniel watched as Vala opened her gift and was pleased that she'd liked the scarf he'd picked out. But, then saw her crestfallen look when Sam talked to her and then he felt awful when he saw her leave, obviously upset. He asked Sam what happened but she was confused by the whole thing and couldn't offer an explanation to why Vala seemed hurt.

_'I shouldn't have done it. I'd better go find her and see if I can explain. I knew she hadn't picked a name and hadn't put her name in, so I only did it so she wouldn't feel left out when everyone else was opening their gifts. I wonder where she went?'_

But, when Daniel went looking for her, she wasn't at any of the usual places. Eventually, he gave up and went back to the party, but he felt terrible and soon excused himself and went home.

_'I'll talk to her tomorrow when I go in for work,'_ he thought as he settled down for the night. But, his dreams were disturbing and he had nightmares of the Ori attacking earth and the SGC not being able to stop them.

Vala had gone outside to sit in the quiet for a while. Her parka kept her warm as she sat gazing at the stars. She wondered if she'd made the right choice by joining the SGC. She almost missed her freedom and was confused by her feelings. She'd grown attached to the people here on earth and wasn't used to that. When she went back inside, the party had ended, so she went to her room and tried to sleep but her mind was busy with thoughts of her life and Daniel and she didn't get much rest.

0 0 0

Jack returned Sam's call the next morning and they discussed the show. Sam checked the website while she was talking with him and said, "Well, the latest information is that the producers say it's a definite 'yes,' for another season. It worked! All the petitions and letters and beer cans convinced them!"

"We'll have to have a party!" Jack liked parties and any excuse would do.

"You know, Jack, people might think all we do is throw parties around here," Sam said.

"I don't care what anyone thinks, you know that, Carter. And, if we have cake, it's even better. Let me know if you need help setting it up."

"Will do. Bye."

"Bye."

0 0 0

Things went on as usual. SG-1 went on missions and Daniel kept up his record of getting hurt on a regular basis, but most of the time it was just sprains, cuts and bruises. He didn't require any more overnight stays in the infirmary but he was ordered to stay home a few times to rest.

He and Vala had reformed a good working relationship and he eventually did have her over to watch season 17 of the show. They laughed together a lot, and though she secretly wished for more, she was grateful for what she had with him.

He was satisfied to let things go as they were. He was comfortable with their friendship and decided to leave it at that for the time being. He'd wait and see if anything developed further but he wasn't going to push it.

In May, the SGC decided to throw a 'Simpson's' party on the night of the last new episode for season 18. They brought in a large TV so that everyone could see and had donuts and drinks for everyone. One corner of the room was decorated to look like 'Moe's' bar and some dressed up as their favorite characters.

Jack was there and having a wonderful time. This new season talk had done a lot to cheer him up. When the show started, the crowd settle down and grew quiet, only getting noisy when they were all laughing about something Homer said or what Bart did. Afterwards, Jack had everyone get a glass of their favorite drink (soda or punch) and he proposed a toast.

"To perseverance and all around nagging." Everyone laughed and agreed that it was in large part to all the petitions, letters and empty beer cans that caused the show's producers to take another look at the situation and agree to another year. It had been hard work and a lot of frustration but they were all satisfied.

The news media had run with it, reporting on all the parties that had been set up across the country. One woman said, "We had planned the parties to celebrate the show and watch the series finale, but when they decided to sign on for another year, we thought we would have the party to celebrate that. It was great and I can hardly wait for next season."

Daniel had SG-1 over to his house after the party and they chatted for a while about all that had happened.

"I have to thank you for helping out with that campaign," Jack said. "You can't imagine how happy I was to hear from Sam that they'd signed on for another year." He looked at Sam and smiled.

"Yeah, well, you were such a grump about it that we just had to do something!" Daniel winked at Sam and laughed as Jack threw a couch pillow at him.

"Indeed, you were most unpleasant, O'Neill. I was contemplating using a zat on you if you didn't cease."

"Oh yeah, it's pick on the General time! You guys just wait until it's 'Wormhole X-treme' they cancel. Then we'll see how you do. I know for a fact that Teal'c has all the DVD's of that show.

"Really, Teal'c? I never knew you were a fan!" Daniel took another sip of his beer and then pointed the bottle at Sam and said, "When the movie comes out, what you say we all go see it together."

"I thought they canceled the plans for a movie."

"You're drunk, Daniel." Sam giggled. "When's the last time you went to a movie?"

Daniel stopped to think about it. "I think it was the second 'Tomb Raider' one.

"Daniel! That was what, four years ago? You're kidding?" Sam looked shocked. "You haven't been to a movie in four years?"

"Hey, Danny, got a thing for Angelina Jolie, huh?" Jack took a swig of his beer and smiled, knowingly.

Daniel didn't say anything, he just grinned and took another sip of his beer and blushed a deep red.

"OH MY! He's got a crush!" Sam started laughing and Daniel blushed even more, if that was possible.

"Who is 'Angelina Jolie?" Vala wanted to know, especially when she saw Daniel's reaction.

"I'll explain some other time, Vala." Daniel then noticed Teal'c stand up and walk over to the shelf that held his DVD collection. He was taking a sip of beer and his face went a bit white when he heard Teal'c say, "O'Neill, I believe that Daniel Jackson has both 'Tomb Raider' movies in his possession." Teal'c scanned the shelf and then pulled them both out. "Indeed, he has. I believe you are correct. It appears he does have a crush on the lead actress."

Daniel choked up on his beer so bad it came out his nose. He was sneezing and coughing and had tears in his eyes from laughing so much. Vala got him a paper napkin from the stack on the coffee table and they all laughed uproariously.

"Okay, kids. I think we need to call it a night. No driving tonight. Sam, you and Vala take the guest room at the end of the hall. Teal'c, you get the other guest room. Cam and I'll bunk out here in the living room on the couches. I'm gonna help Daniel to his room. It's obvious he's too drunk to make it by himself." They all looked at him as he was wiping the beer off his lap."

"I am not too drunk to make it to my room!" Daniel stood up and swayed a bit and he started forward with great determination but started to fall over as he tried to make his way around the Lay-Z-Boy. Jack and Cam grabbed him and headed off down the hall.

So, another season of 'The Simpson's' was scheduled and things went back to normal. They still fought the Ori, Daniel still got hurt occasionally, but the show went on.

It just showed what determination could do. With enough will power, anything can change.

The End


End file.
